Written by Kundai Marunya
Cricket lovers in the ancient city of Masvingo are in for a treat as the Simon Muzenda Foundation introduces a memorial T20 tournament in memory of the fallen national hero.
The inaugural event will be held on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October at Masvingo Sports Club. The event will be held alongside The Simon V Muzenda Golf Championships, which have been penciled for Masvingo Golf Club on the same dates.
Program director Kenneth Gombe said, “Eight teams (from Masvingo Cricket Province) will participated in a two groups round robin group stages, and the top two teams from each group will participate in the final.” Participants include Scorpions Cricket Club, Mucheke Cricket Club, Hungwe Cricket Club, Masvingo Cricket Club, Mutirikwi Cricket Club and Lowveld Warthogs Cricket Club.
“The Simon Muzenda T20 Cricket Memorial Tournament is to coincide with various other celebratory and sporting activities in the region to celebrate, appreciate and honour a continent great leader and founding father Simon Muzenda,” said Gombe.
“The late Honourable Muzenda’s visionary leadership has contributed immensely to the upbringing of the sports industry in the country. Simon Muzenda T20 Cricket Memorial Tournament will give cricketers from all walks of life a perfect platform to use the sport of cricket to pay tribute and be inspired by our late Vice President’s visionary leadership and dedication to the good of all Zimbabweans.”
The event is hoped to be permanent annual fixture on the national sporting calendar. “We chose Masvingo Province because we hope to demystify the game and spread it to out skirts,” Gombe said.
Meanwhile, there will be a ‘Legendary Dinner’ on Saturday Evening, which is going to be attended by players and dignitaries and is open to the public.
Simon Vengai Muzenda is a liberation war hero who served as Zimbabwe’s Deputy Prime Minister from independence to 1987 before he went on to become the Vice President up until 2003 under President Robert Mugabe. He died on 22 September 2003 at the age of 81.